Ball-bearing rail.



1To.853,620 PATENTED MAY 14, 1907. I G. I. BARNES.

BALL BEARING RAIL. v APPLIGATION FILED MAR. 19, 1906.

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UNITE STATES PATENT EFTGE.

GEORGE IRVIN BARNES, OF HIGHLANDS,

CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- THIRD TO JAMES H. YERKES AND ONE-THIRD TO ALEXIS E. FRYE, OF

HIGHLANDS, CALIFORNIA.

BALL-BEARING RAIL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 14, 1907.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE IRVIN BARNES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Highlands, in the county of San Bernardino 5 and State of California, have invented a new and useful Ball-Bearin Rail for Use Wherever the Flange of Any Wheel Bears Against a Rail, and of which the following is a speci fication.

The object of this invention is to produce an antifriction, ball-bearing attachment for rails which is capable of resisting the bearing or friction of a flange of any wheel, and to insure safety, speed, and reduction in the use of 1 power.

Other objects will appear from the following specification.

The accompanying drawing illustrates the invention.

Figure l is a'transverse section of the rail showing the fragment of a wheel in position; Fig. 2, a fragmentary side elevation; Fig. 3, a fragmentary side elevation of the ball-retaining plate; Fig. 4, a transverse, fragmentary section of a full-sized ball-retaining plate and ball in place; and Fig. 5, a fragmentary, transverse section showing the oil groove and passage-way communicating with the oil groove through which oil is fed thereto.

This drawing shows a carwheel (W) resting on a railroad rail (D). A flange (C) projects from the carwheel, and this flange is prevented by the ball bearin (A) from grinding or-touching the solid rail. The balls are I 5 in a series of sockets (M, M, in Fig. 3) and are so placed that the flange has a bearing on the projecting or protruding balls to the number of four or five at a time. In actual operation the hard metal balls may be made about an inch, more or less, in diameter according to a the size of the rail; they may be placed two inches, more or less, from center to center, and may protrude a quarter of an inch, more or less.

In use the balls work as follows: When the flange first bears on one of the balls, the ball yields by rotating forward and downward; this motion gradually changes to accommodate itself to the movement of the flange. he freedom of the ball to rotate on any axis onstitutes its superiority over a roller, plate,

disk or similar device. The bearing of the flange on a series of balls, and not on a single ball, gives direct forward movement to the wheel and tends to prevent lateral swaying, as well as a blow or shock to any ball. Raised rails are necessary where speed is to be attained on curves. The express train must find the outer rail on curves raised or else run the great danger of leaving the track. The slower freight train on the same curve is pressed against the lower rail with so much grinding friction that great power is wasted. Especially is this true of curves on upgrades. There the friction against the lower rail or inner rail of the curve is often sufficient to stall trains that on ordinary levels would run with ease. With the ball bearing attachment on both the inner and the outer rails of such curves, the flanges of the express train glide around the curve of the higher rail, simply running over the face of the protruding balls, but never touching the face of the unyielding rail. Thus the inner face of the rail can never be worn back to the dangerous slope that railroad men have with cause learned to fear, nor can any irregularity of such sloping surface cause the wheel to leap the rail. Moreover, the car runs round the ball-bearing rail of the curve without the friction slowdown of the common rail. Next comes the slow freight, perhaps climbing a steep grade on the curve. The flange that would grind against the inner face of the lower or inner rail now takes the ball bearings, with four or five balls against the single flange, and'the wheel glides round the curve with comparative ease. Thusthe incline of the road bed, so essential to the swift express, adds but little to the work of the slowly climbing freight.

The use of the ball-bearing device on guard rails is obvious. The lateral motion which throws a flange against a guard rail is peculiarly adapted to make a flange climb over the slightest obstacle. A guard rail slightly worn is then a source of danger, as the lateral movement tends up the slope. Such movement, however, is readily turned into a direct forward movement by the flange running against the yielding or turning balls.

A chief obstacle to great speed is the fricthe rails.

tion against the rails, due to lateral swaying of the car. The swaying is increased by the blow against the unyielding rail. But the ball bearing even on straight rails not only makes greater speed possible by lessening the friction due to the grinding of the swaying flanges, but it tends also to turn the swaying into forward motion, as the balls do not give back the direct blow of the fixed iron, but rather yield in the direction of the moving train. The warding of this lateral blow by turning it forward not only increases speed, but it also helps to prevent the spreading of In this way, and in preventing the flange from running up the slope of worn rails, the ball-bearing rail will prove an important life-saving device.

The construction of the ball bearing track may be described as follows I First, on rails specially designed to receive the ball-bearing attachment. This form is shown in Fig. 1. The rail (D, D) is like the ordinary rail on one side, as well as 011 the base and top. The other side has a vertical face (K) to which the ball-bearing plate (P) is bolted by the bolt (E). This vertical face on the solid rail is marked (K and the corresponding vertical face on the plate (P) is marked (K At its base the ball-bearing plate (P) is beveled (B) to fit a lip or seat (S) on the solid rail. The face of the ball-bearing plate is shown in Fig. 2, in which the protruding faces of the balls (A, A) are shown in a series. Four bolts (E) are shown.

The balls are inserted in the sockets from the rear face (K as shown in Fig. 3. The socket may be drilled with a drill so curved on its cutting edge as to leave a curving lip to prevent the ball from passing entirely through the socket at (T, T) as shown in Fig. 4. The socket may be drilled in a horizontal position or {may be inclined upward or downward toward the outer face. Some slight inclination downward helps to carry the oil forward under the ball.

The rear surface of the ball rests against the vertical face (K) of the solid rail which is slightly grooved (at G, in Fig, 4) to give firmer bearing. Fig. 4 gives an enlarged view of the plate (P), but with a section cut out at (X) to shorten the drawing. This figure emphasizes the beveled top of the plate (at H),-the object of the bevel being to prevent the wheel from bearing 011 the plate, thus giving the rim of the wheel the firmest possi ble bearing directly over the stem of the T-rail. The swaying wheel is prevented by the protruding ball from striking the portion of the plate over the ball, though probably no injury could come to the plate even if it bore the weight of the wheel and sustained the lateral blow, except of course the wearing back that such lateral motion always causes to the rail.

Fig. 2 shows a device for oiling: the ball bearings. Oil holes (0, 0,), a quarter of an inch, more or less, in diameter open into the face of the plate and extend through said plate to an oil groove (R, best seen in Fig. 5) which runs in and along the rear of said plate, connecting socket with socket. ()il mav be poured or forced into the openings (0, O) and flow in the hole and groove for a considerable distance, perhaps reaching several balls from a single oil hole. The outer opening of the oil hole is to be protected from dust, water or other foreign matter, by a sliding cap, screw, screw cap or plug. The oil holes may be placed either between each pair of ball bearings, or at such distance as the conditions as to grade, frequency of oiling, etc, of various roads may require.

The oil hole drops into the groove in such a way that the lip forming the inner rim of the groove tends to prevent the oil from reaching the seam between the plate and the vertical face of the rail. Moreover, a gasket; (N, Fig. 2) may be run along said seam just below the oil groove and prevent leakage, if any trouble arises from flooding the groove.

The oil groove empties into each socket about on a level with the floor of the socket and below the level of the lower lip (T) at the face of the socket, thus tending to prevent waste of oil through the socket. A minute inclination of the socket downward toward the face of the plate serves to giv 2 a tendency to the oil to flow under the ball. The groove is held to the back of the plate, so as to prevent breaking or opening the surface of the socket where the ball may have its bearing. Fig. 3 shows the oil groove on the rear of the ball-bearing plate. The openings (M, .\l) are sockets. The opening of the oil hole on the front face of the plate is marked ((l"); the rear opening into the oil groove is at (0"). The oil groove is (R). In this drawing the oil groove enters the socket smnewhat above the socket floor.

The socket may also be bored directly into the side or arm of the T-rail, or other rail, without the use of the plate (1 and after the insertion of the ball into the socket, it maybe held in place by a metal eolla r to eorrespond with the lips at (T, T) in Fig. 4'. ()r the portion of the plate (P) below the level of the ball or the socket may be rolled as a solid part of the rail, and only the portion of the plate (P) above the ball or the socket level maybe attached, with the other attachments mentioned in this specification, as for oiling.

Or all the plate (P) including the partitions between the balls, but excepting the beveled portion of the said plate above the level of the top of the socket, may be made as part of the solid rail.

Second. The construction or application of the ball bearing device for old rails, or

rail;

now in use, may be described as follows:

The inner arm of the rail, if necessary as in the case of a T-rail, may be sawed oil or otherwise removed. so as to give the vertical surface corresponding to (Ka) in Fig. 1.. The part removed must be of a thickness equal to the diameter of the ball to be used, or about that thickness. On the vertical surface thus formed, the groove (G, Fig. 1) may be made, and the plate as described may then be attached by bolting (like E, Fig. 1) or otherwise. In this case, the rail may or may not be made with the seat (S); but if bottom bearing is desirable, the plate (P) may be made of such depth, (up and down), as to rest in the angle. which the rail foot or base makes with the upright stem. Or the rail may be treated in either of the modes described above for the rail of special design, namely, by boring the socket directly into the side of the rail or the arm of the T- rail or other form of rail, without the use of the plate (P), and after the insertion of the ball into the socket it may be held in place by a metal collar or other ring or wedge of metal to perform the same work as the lip (T, T) in Fig. 4. Or only a portion of the rail at the upper inner angle need be removed, corresponding to the beveled portion of the plate (P) above the ball level (from T to H, in Fig. 4) the sockets may then be drilled open at the top, and after the insertion of the balls, the beveled portion of the plate (T to H, Fig. 4) may be restored by a corresponding piece of metal, in shape like that removed. In cases where the flanges are long enough to reach below the present arm of the T-rail, the ball-bearing plate may be inserted under said arm, so that the balls will protrude a fourth of an inch, more or less. Or, the top of the rail may be left undisturbed, and the lower part of the inner arm of the rail may be planed out or removed to the level of the bottom of what will be the position of the ball or the socket. In the portion of the arm of the rail thus left, the socket may then be drilled, the ball inserted and an under metal support be bolted or otherwise affixed to bear the downward pressure of the ball. Or, either in case of the specially made rail or the application of the ball-bearing device to an old rail, the construction or repair may be as follows: A groove having a little less depth and height than the diameter of the ball to be inserted; or a series of sockets of such depth and height, may be made in the pressureface of the T -rail arm. The balls may then be inserted. and a plate attached over the opening of the groove. or the openings or the series of sockets, but said plate to have holes through which the balls may protrude to take the bearing of carwheel flanges. The appearance of such aplate would be the same as the portion of the plate in Fig. 2 embraced by bracket at the right, and such plate would hold the balls in their sockets or in a groove.

I claim as my invention the following:

1. A rail having a plate fixed to the web thereof provided with a plurality of spaced openings arranged to receive a plurality of balls.

2. A rail having a plate fitting oneside thereof provided with a plurality of spaced.

openings arranged to receive a plurality of balls, and means for securing said plate to said rail.

3. A rail having a plate providedwith a plurality of openings, a plurality of balls arranged to fit said openings, a seat for said plate, and means for securing said plate to the web of said rail.

4. A rail having a plate provided with a plurality of openings, a plurality of balls arranged to fit and project beyond said openings, a seat in said rail for said plate, and means for securing said plate to the web of said rail.

5. A-rail having a seat in the web thereof and a plate fitting said seat, said plate being provided with a plurality of openings arranged to receive a plurality of balls.

'6. A rail provided with a plurality of spaced balls, and retaining means for said balls, fastened to the web thereof.

7. A rail having a seat in the web thereof, and a plate fitting said seat, said plate being provided with a plurality of spaced openings arranged to receive a plurality of balls, and means for securing said plate to said rail.

8. A rail having an inclined seat in the web thereof, and a plate fitting said seat, said plate being provided with a plurality of spaced openings, a plurality of balls arranged to fit and project beyond said openings, an

oil groove extending in the path of said balls, and a passage for supplying oil thereto.

9. A rail comprising the head, web and flange, having a seat provided in the web and a plate arranged to fit said seat, said plate being provided with a plurality of openings, a plurality of balls arranged to fit said openings, and project beyond the side of the plate, said plate having a longitudinal groove, and a lateral passage-wayhaving communication with said groove for supplying oil thereto.

10. The combination with a rail having a head, web and flange, said web being provided with an inwardly-extending inclined seat, of a plate fitting said seat and provided with a plurality of spaced openings, a series of balls fitting said openings and arranged to project beyond the face of said plate, said plate being provided with a longitudinal groove extending in line with the projecting balls and a lateral groove extending entirely through said plate having communication with said groove, and means for securing said plate to said rail.

IIO

11. A rail having a plate provided with a 18. A rail having a plurality of balls, IO plurality 0finternally-eurved openings which 7 means for spacing said balls, a seat in the are spaced, a plurality of balls fittlng said Web thereof for said means and means for seopenings and arranged to project beyond the curing said means to said rail.

5 side thereof, means for supplying oil to said balls, and a seat for said plate. I GEORGE IR'VIN BARN 12. Arail having a plurality of balls, means Witnesses: for spacing said balls, means for securing said E. E. BARNES,

means in the web of said rail. W. P. FRAZER. 

